Skylar

Skylar arrived at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary on 8 August 2014. Her mother was shot by poachers, although they were interrupted and never managed to cut off her mother’s horn. Skylar was found in the Crocodile River bordering Marloth Park in Mpumalanga.

Skylar arrived at the same time as Thor, the little black rhino. They were in the same crate, both had been sedated. The sedation drugs had an adverse impact on Skylar and she stopped breathing the night she arrived. The team had to take off her blindfold and remove her from the crate.

Petronel was determined to revive her. One person blew into her nose and another jumped on her chest to perform CPR. After a couple of minutes it seemed that all was lost. Chris said, “She is gone.” Petronel shouted, “They are never gone!” She instructed everyone to keep going, and with her determination, they brought Skylar back to life!

At first, Skylar was extremely anxious and could not relax. It was only when Skyler met her new rhino family that she began to relax and trust her environment. She had a beautiful night pen, complete with soft hay to sleep on at night and during the day she went out into a large camp to graze on succulent grass and lie in the shade of the acacia trees.

For a long time, Skylar shared her enclosure with three other rhinos, Tank, Satara and Robyn. This was crucial in their rehabilitation process as they formed a very close bond with one another.

Despite her rough start, Skylar has grown to be a well-adjusted young orphaned rhino. We are pleased to see that she is doing extremely well after being released back into the wild together with some of the other rhinos. They spend their day roaming freely while enjoying the sweet green grass near the river.